Florida State Attorney General James Uthmeier has launched an investigation into CVS Health Corporation and its pharmacy benefit manager, Caremark, over allegations that the company’s business practices may be hurting Florida families, seniors, and independent pharmacies.
Uthmeier announced that his office issued a Civil Investigative Demand to CVS Health Corporation, which owns both Caremark and hundreds of CVS retail pharmacies across Florida.
“Florida families and seniors deserve access to affordable medication and real pharmacy choices—not a system rigged by one giant corporation that may favor its own stores and squeeze out competitors,” Uthmeier said. “This investigation will uncover the truth and protect fair competition for all Floridians.”
The investigation focuses on whether CVS and Caremark have used their market position to steer patients toward CVS-owned pharmacies, reimburse CVS-affiliated pharmacies at higher rates than independent competitors for the same prescriptions, impose burdensome audits, and enforce restrictive contracts that could threaten smaller pharmacies.
Pharmacy benefit managers, commonly known as PBMs, play a major role in the prescription drug market. They help determine which medications are covered by insurance plans, how much pharmacies are reimbursed, and where patients may fill prescriptions. Caremark is one of the nation’s largest PBMs.
According to the Attorney General’s Office, the three largest PBMs, including Caremark, handle about 80 percent of prescriptions in the United States. CVS Health also owns more than 9,000 pharmacies nationwide, including roughly 800 in Florida. State officials say that the combination raises concerns about vertical integration and whether the company is favoring its own pharmacies over competitors.
Agency for Health Care Administration Secretary Shevaun Harris said the investigation is part of a broader push for accountability in the health care system.
“Floridians expect a health care system that works for them, not against them,” Harris said. “The Attorney General’s action is an important step toward that future, and AHCA is proud to stand alongside this effort to ensure accountability of PBMs.”
Independent pharmacy advocates also praised the move. Aneesh Lakhani, incoming president of the Florida Pharmacy Association, said the investigation sends a strong message to the PBM industry.
“The Attorney General’s action today sends a clear and necessary message: the era of unchecked PBM abuse in Florida is over,” Lakhani said. “My patients deserve better. Florida deserves better. The system wasn’t broken, PBMs broke the system. We will not rest until they are held fully accountable.”
The Attorney General’s Office says the subpoena requires CVS Health and Caremark to produce thousands of documents and sworn testimony related to reimbursement rates, pharmacy contracts, patient steering, audits, rebates, treatment of CVS-owned versus independent pharmacies, and expansion plans.
The company must comply with the Civil Investigative Demand by July 28, 2026.
State officials say the investigation is intended to determine whether CVS Health and Caremark’s practices have limited consumer choice, increased prescription costs, or contributed to pharmacy closures and so-called “pharmacy deserts” in Florida communities.
